At an estimated lifetime development, production, operational and maintenance cost of $2 trillion or more (adjusted for inflation), the F-35 perhaps most of all symbolizes notorious Pentagon waste, fraud and abuse – ripping off taxpayers, using the nation’s resources irresponsibly, at the expense of vital homeland needs.

After a decade of development and limited production, it still doesn’t work as intended. In service since the 1970s, the F-16 outclasses it. In simulated dogfights, an F-35 test pilot called it “at a distinct energy disadvantage.”

The Pentagon’s fifth-generation warplane performs worse than one of its current mainstays it’s designed to replace. It remains a troubled aircraft with unresolved problems, a multi-trillion dollar boondoggle, a colossal waste of national resources.

It’s unclear if continued development and testing can ever overcome its design flaws. Instead of scrapping a white elephant, limitless billions of dollars continue being poured down a black hole.

They “may be unaffordable for the (service branches) as they consider the cost of upgrading these early lots of aircraft while the program continues to increase production rates in a fiscally constrained environment.”

DOD plans a fleet of 2,443 F-35s, plus hundreds more Britain, Italy, Japan and Australia intend buying, maybe Israel and other US allies.

Outrageously, the aircraft is being produced while still in development – deficient and unable to perform its intended mission. One unnamed Pentagon official called what’s ongoing “acquisition malpractice.”

Grand theft best explains it, perhaps over $2 trillion wasted if F-35s never work as intended.

Numerous unresolved problems and design flaws remain. So-called “3F” software intended to assure full combat capability (if it works) won’t be completed until at least early 2018, maybe much later, if ever.

According to Gilmore, Air Force officials told a Joint Chiefs of Staff review group in December that beginning full-scale production in April 2019 is unrealistic because of numerous unresolved problems, serious “deficiencies,” including dysfunctional software.

Fuel system defects limit maneuverability. The ejection system can kill pilots weighing 136 pounds or less by breaking their necks.

Testing will be completed later this year, production to follow, availability for service expected in 2017 – at a small fraction of the F-35’s cost.

Retired US Air Force General/deputy chief of staff David Deptula called the T-50 a “pretty sophisticated design (with) greater agility (and a better) aerodynamic design” than the F-35.

Sophisticated Russian military technology matches America’s best. In December, US Air Forces in Europe commander General Frank Forenc called its state-of-the-art qualitative and quantitative capability “alarming.”

A propos :

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
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